Hunsaker basket in a WSM

[BlueandGoldBBQ]

Doing my first cook with this hunsaker basket and having some teething issues. I don't have any Weber starter cubes so I started about 10-15 kingsford briqs and poured a small layer of unlit in the basket leaving the center empty to pour into. I waited until they were ashed over and threw some wood chunks on the edge of the lit pile, then filled over the top to about 3/4 full basket.

I left the bottom three vents open and exhaust open like I normally do to get up to temp. I normally start to throttle it back to just one intake half open, other two closed but I always leave exhaust wide open and this settles in for me right at 300 with the minion method on normal grate.

I was having a side issue where the lid/drum wall was pluming white smoke, I thought it was the chunks igniting but if I removed the lid, the lid would billow smoke for a minute or so. With the lid off the basket would start to flow perfect thin blue, I would put the lid back on and it would come out the exhaust thin blue but then go back to pluming heavy smoke again. While I was fussing about with this, the temp had shot up to like 350. I closed the one intake down to a hair and no response for like 10-15 mins. Then I remembered Marks video saying he controls the drum with the exhaust also so I dialed that back to almost nothing. I grew impatient trying to get ribs started and full closed everything until it dropped to about 275. Then I cracked one instake and the exhaust barely open and it settled in right at 300. I thought I had it figured out at that point after a roaring start

It stayed there flawlessly for 2.5 hours (not including the first hour of fiddling) then it started dropping steadily down to 270 pretty quickly. I thought maybe I burned up too much charcoal with the hot start. I popped the vortex lid off and all looked good so I went 50% on intake and exhaust and it was back at 350 in 10 minutes At this point I took the ribs off to sauce so I just shut it down and let it drop a bit before I put them back on to glaze

So I'm figuring I maybe started with too much lit charcoal and this thing likes to run hot. It certainly builds heat quick and doesn't want to give it up. Anyone else use one for a 22.5 WSM? Where do you keep your vents for which temps? And what's your starting procedure?

Btw I had a thermoworks smoke probe dangling from the gateway rib hanger rack about where the bottom grate would be. Oh and FYI if you hang from the top bone of spare ribs, they will touch the top of the heat deflector. Hung from the second bone and it worked out, but still hangs real close. Taste test coming soon

 

[KevinJ]

Fill the basket up with as much charcoal as you think you'll need for your cook, pour a half chimney or full if you are using a Weber compact chimney of ashed over coals (about 25 briquettes) on top of the unlit. Like you I put my wood chunks just outside of the lit coals, makes for a much cleaner smoke. I never used the Basket in a WSM but used to own one and now cook on a Hunsaker drum, I've never had any issues with dropping temps. I cooked a Butt today was in a hurry, cooked it at 330 for 3hrs, wrapped and then bumped the temp up to 380, total cook time 5.5hrs.

 

[BlueandGoldBBQ]

Thanks Kevin I'll try a dry run this afternoon and see how it goes

 

[Czarbecue]

I've used the vortex basket many times so far with my WSM. It runs hot with 12-15 briqs, so either get a deflector/diffuser or go hot and fast. And controlling the temp via the exhaust is for the drum. With the WSM, you're only going to choke down your fire with the smoke backdrafting towards the basket. Leave it wide open. I actually cut mine and stuck a 4" dryer vent in it.

I leave all 3 intakes wide open until it hits 200 @ grate level. Then I shut one completely off and shut another at 250. You don't want your basket temps at full speed when you're trying to regulate it. I can control the temps with one intake as long as it is not facing the wind.

Another thing to note is I use a cast iron deflector and pit temp is 300 while grate level is 250. White smoke will be normal for the first 30 minutes.

 

[BlueandGoldBBQ]

Czar you're using the vortex deflector and a cast iron?

For anyone interested, here's my notes from the dry run I did yesterday. It definitely drafts extemely well, so for now I figure 1/3 intake and 1/2 exhaust is pretty ideal for a 275 grate temp. Just need to fine tune the start up and not overshooting the target temp. Some cliff notes, it got to 225 in 8 minutes! And just over half basket (maybe little more than half bag of kingsford) held 260 for 11 hours

Ambient 80 no breeze -> 75 slight breeze-> 65 no breeze
Temps taken at top grate with thermoworks smoke

Half basket or a touch more of kingsford, half chimney on top of unlit and mostly in center, put deflector back on and lid on, all vents open and started timer

225 in 8 minutes climbing quick, closed two intake, third one down to 1/3, exhaust 1/2, settled at 245 immediately. Stayed there for about 20 mins, opened exhaust and no change for several minutes

Stayed 245 until maybe 45-1 hour, opened one intake full, exhaust still open- climbed steadily to 315, reduced intake to 1/2 but it kept climbing to 358, reduced intake again to the slightest crack, slowly dropped back to 310 within an hour. At this point about 3 hours in

4 hours after start back to 298 and very slowly dropping 1 degree at a time. Opened intake slightly to 1/3, exhaust still full open, climbed to 308 within minutes

Reduced intake to 1/4 and exhaust to 1/2, started slowly dropping 1 degree every few minutes again

Dropped to 274 in 20 minutes, opened intake to 1/3, exhaust still 1/2. Holding 275 steady, now at 5 hour mark from start. Left vents untouched from here

5:30 still 275
6 hours 270
6:30 265
7 hours 255
7:30 250
8 hours 260-265 flaring up, fluctuating quickly up and down
8:30 270
9 hours 270
9:30 265
10 hours 260
10:30 260
11 hours 250
11:30 240
12 hours 235
13 hours 225

 

[Czarbecue]

I use a 22" cast iron skillet along with the vortex deflector plate. I like it to run hot so the charcoal burns cleanly yet still have 250-275F temps. The cast iron sits where the bottom of the water bowl should be (I added a third grate and that's where it stays). My exhaust is also 4" in diameter because I have a double chamber for my WSM... more grates = more smoked meats = need more draft.

You should do another run and put a pork butt in there... something to absorb the heat because I assure you ambient temps will be different with some cold meat on the grates.

Good luck out there.

 

[BlueandGoldBBQ]

Gotcha, I remember your other thread about that now. I mostly bought it to hang ribs and have a really low level deflector, but I'll keep that in mind for grate cooks. Good point about the meat also, didn't have anything laying around to cook